Hampshire Poet blog - May 2026
- Damian Kelly-Basher
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
During his tenure, your Hampshire Poet - Damian Kelly-Basher - will be writing a series of blog posts for us sharing what he has been up to, telling us his poetic plans for the future, and inviting you to get involved in poetry in Hampshire. Read on to find out what's happening in Damian's world!
Welcome to Damian Kelly-Basher's Hampshire Poet blog for May - it's all about developing yourself as a poet.
Over the last 2 years I’ve looked at some of the ways we can write or perform poetry.
This blog looks at how you can take your poetry further (if you want).
It could be by publishing or performing at gigs, or just learning about poetry for your own pleasure. But whatever it is, you decide what you want to do.
Poetry resources
Poet-friends gave me these useful books (see photo) at different times to help me with some aspect of writing, performing or sharing my poems. Thanks! :)
The Ode Less Travelled - Stephen Fry
On Poetry - Glynn Maxwell
Ordinary Genius - Kim Addonizio
The Poetry Home Repair Manual - Ted Kooser
How To Be A Poet - Jo Bell
Many poets (including me) go on writing workshops. Whether in person or online, they’re a great way to meet new writers and discover new ways of creating poetry.
I’d also recommend that you read and listen to other poets’ work. It’s always inspiring and motivates me to keep writing. These sites are worth checking out.
Poetry Foundation website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
Button Poetry (spoken word): https://buttonpoetry.com/
There are also thousands of poetry resources online, as well as poets posting on social media.
But, it’s easy to get hung up about your development or status as a poet. So, remember to keep enjoying what you do. It helps me stay grounded to think of a poet as just someone who enjoys making poems. So, whether published or not; whether performing at gigs or writing only in a personal notebook, we’re all just the same species of nerd.
And that’s the way I think it should be.
Enjoy your writing!
Damian Kelly-Basher is Hampshire Poet Laureate 2024-26. The appointment of the Hampshire Poet takes place every two years and is jointly led by Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust. The position of Hampshire Poet provides the opportunity for a Hampshire-based poet to undertake commissions, lead workshops and give readings and talks throughout the county, as well as acting as an advocate for poetry and poets.
Comments